christianity : beliefs and teachings

Question 1

the nature of god

Answer 1

“We believe in one god” - nicene creed
god is the creator of everything

Question 2

qualities of god

Answer 2

omnipotent, benevolent, just, omnipresent

Question 3

the problems of evil and suffering

Answer 3

if god is benevolent, why does god allow people to suffer
if god is omnipotent, why does god not prevent evil and suffering
if god is just, why does god allow injustice

Question 4

the trinity

Answer 4

god is the father, the son and the holy spirit, but god the father is not god the son or the holy spirit.

Question 5

creation - genesis

Answer 5

“in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth”
many believe not scientifically accurate but contains some religious truth.
some are literalists

Question 6

creation - john

Answer 6

“the word was with god and the word was god”
the word refers to the son of god who entered history as jesus

Question 7

incarnation

Answer 7

“the word became flesh” - bible
“she was found to be pregnant through the holy spirit” -bible
mary was a virgin

Question 8

jesus

Answer 8

fully god, fully human
his words, deeds and promises have great authority because they are the word of god
christians believe that jesus is the messiah but a spiritual rather than a political one

Question 9

crucifixion - what happened

Answer 9

jesus suffered greatly - he was both fully god and human
“father, into your hands i commit my spirit” - last words
burial was rushed - sabbath about to begin
was buried in a cave like tomb

Question 10

crucifixion - importance

Answer 10

• gives hope that sins will be forgiven if they sincerely repent
  -god understands human suffering
  -suffering is a part of life, just like it was a part of jesus’ life
  -teaches forgiveness - “father, forgive them for they know not what they have done”

Question 11

resurrection - what happened?

Answer 11

early sunday morning, followers went to visit jesus’s cave but he was not there, the news was spread that he was not there, over the next few days jesus appeared to several people and told them he had risen from the dead, as he predicted he would before his crucifixion.

Question 12

ascension - what happened?

Answer 12

after meeting with his disciples and asking them to carry out his work, jesus left them -
“while he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.” - bible

Question 13

impact of belief in the resurrection

Answer 13

-life after death is real
-gives confidence in the face of death
-gives hope of a future life with jesus
-inspires christians to live life in the way god wants them to
-shows christians how much god loves them.

Question 14

different views on resurrection

Answer 14

-soon after death
-some time in the future
-both spiritual and physical
-just spiritual

Question 15

the afterlife

Answer 15

they will be resurrected and receive eternal life after they die
this is a gift and is dependent on faith in God
“i believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” - apostles creed
afterlife begins at death or on the day of judgement

Question 16

judgement

Answer 16

based on how people behave during life
the parable of the sheep and the goats describes how people will be judged - in serving others they are serving jesus so this is how they should live their lives

Question 17

heaven

Answer 17

eternal happiness and peace in the presence of god, either a physical place or a spiritual state
a reward for both faith and actions

Question 18

purgatory

Answer 18

an intermediate state where souls are cleansed in order to enter heaven, this is a catholic belief.

Question 19

hell

Answer 19

the opposite of heaven
a place of eternal torment
an eternal state of mind of being cut off from the possibility of god

Question 20

sin

Answer 20

any thought that separates humans from god

Question 21

original sin

Answer 21

the idea comes from adam and eves disobedience of god when they are the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil- forbidden
the result was separation from god and the introduction of death

Question 22

salvation

Answer 22

repairs the damage caused by sin

Question 23

types of salvation

Answer 23

doing good works - “in the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”
through grace - “for it is by grace you have been saved”

Question 24

role of jesus in salvation

Answer 24

his crucifixion made up for the original sin
necessary to restore the relationship between god and believers
“for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life in christ jesus our lord”
made it possible for all who follow his teachings to gain eternal life

Question 25

atonement

Answer 25

removes the effects of sin
jesus atoned for the sins of humanity
“he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins”